


Dawning

by soup



Series: Fandom Events [3]
Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Community: inceptiversary, Community: trope_bingo, Established Relationship, Inception Bingo, M/M, Post-Canon, Saito-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-09-07 04:46:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20303689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soup/pseuds/soup
Summary: Even after all these months, Saito still worries he’ll one day find Arthur has suffocated in his sleep. It’s daunting.





	Dawning

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to try something new.  
  
Written for the “Established Relationship” bingo square.

Saito moves around the bed whilst fastening his second cufflink and then drops his hand to Arthur’s bare shoulder. He’s particularly fond of this shoulder. He strokes two fingers along its deceptively delicate curve while imagining how easily his mouth fits around it. The touch elicits a questioning hum as Arthur turns his head towards him, hair a riot of rumpled curls masking the half of his face not currently burrowed into the pillow. Even after all these months, Saito still worries he’ll one day find Arthur has suffocated in his sleep. It’s daunting.

Leaning down to kiss that very shoulder, Saito idly cards his fingers through Arthur’s fringe, pushing back the wild curls in order to press a second kiss to Arthur’s temple. He lingers there, breathes, takes his fill.

「行ってきます 1」

Saito stalls a moment longer to admire the view. There aren’t many occasions for him to freely indulge in watching his lover in this state: awake, with his hardened expression and slicked-back hair, Arthur is a paragon of activity, the epitome of confidence and competence; asleep, he’s a heap of twisted bedding and graceless limbs, expression slack, content, and so painfully young he belies innocence and fragility few would associate with the point-man. To witness Arthur this way is a gift Saito continues to treasure; it’s an honour bestowed only upon him these days, has been for quite some time now, and he doubts he’ll tire of appreciating it.

He strokes his thumb across Arthur’s temple a second time, touch reverent.

Arthur peers out one eye before turning away, mumbling into the pillow as he goes.「いってらしゃい 2」 

Saito cards his fingers through Arthur’s hair—a parting gesture—and steps away. It’d be all too easy to slip back between the sheets, to burrow himself into the warmth of Arthur’s yielding body, now sleep soft and ever-giving... for him. Only him. No one else gets to see this, appreciate it; no one else would know how to. Saito’s learned from spending one lifetime on the shores of Cobb’s crumbling subconscious how important it is for rare precious things to be cherished, so differently from the way he once thought. He’s wondered on occasion whether his mistress would have given in to Cobb on the Cobol job as easily as she did had she had more to lose wherein Saito’s affections were concerned. It’s been a long time since he’s considered the matter now that his attention is solely devoted to one man.

(His wife understands what with her own love story running parallel to their marriage. The moment Saito opened up to her about Arthur he found in her a best friend rather than an enemy.)

Saito indulges in a private smile as he makes his way towards the bedroom door, rubbing his thumb across his fingertips where the remnant of Arthur’s pomade has greased his skin. Before opening the door to step out into the empty hallways and face the day ahead, he tucks away the part of himself that only Arthur gets to see and allows the veil of impassivity fall across his face.

**Author's Note:**

> 1  
行ってきます (Ittekimasu)  
**Ittekimasu** is typically used in Japan when a person is about to leave somewhere, usually home or the office. It expresses “_I will be going now but do not worry, I will safely return_.” Also, “_I’m off_” and “_See you later_.”  
  
  
  
  
2  
いってらしゃい (Itterasshai)  
**Itterasshai** is the customary response to someone saying _ittekimasu_ and is uttered by whoever is staying in situ, expressing “_You will be leaving soon but please do come back safely_.” Also, “_Have a good day_” and “_See you_.”


End file.
